AIBU to question this advertisement?

[Tabby1963]

Kelloggs is promoting their high sugar cereals to parents with the 'sweetener' that they will be 'giving a child a breakfast' if they buy the stuff really clever advertising "we'll sell you this unhealthy shit full of all sorts of crap and vitamins and you'll be doing a good deed too so that's alright then".

Apparently NetMums is officially supporting it too and suppressing negative comments from members on their forum.

Wouldn't it be better to just make a donation and give our children a healthier breakfast alternative?

It is no wonder we are getting fatter. Our kids have got no chance with increasingly sophisticated adverts like this (sad and frustrated emoticon).

[Tabby1963]

Bunion, yes that's a good point. In the future, the food industry is going to be going through what the cigarette industry went through when it was sued for causing cancer. The food industry knows very well that it contributes to the obesity epidemic, but it puts up smokescreens to try to obscure this. For example, pushing forward the theory that if people just exercise more, they could eat what they wanted (i.e. all that junk crap that is continually being marketed at them). Research shows that this just doesn't work.

Oh MrsLouisTheroux brackets are so last year (lol). done with a flounce

I love breakfast cereal too (too much), which is why I avoid it at the supermarket particularly the crunchy nut cornflakes and have fruit for breakfast instead.

[OwlinaTree]

Breakfast cereal is not that unhealthy. A 60g bowl of cornflakes is about 200cals.

I couldn't get through the morning on just fruit I'm afraid, I'd be starving!

[whois]

YABU OP

In the great fight against obesity and high suger high fat diets there are better places to start than against cereals.

A bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes as part of a BALANCED diet is no major problem.

Cereal is not evil people!

[Birdsgottafly]

But it isn't cornflakes that are being discussed, it is the heavy marketed high sugar crappy type cereal.

If you look across threads, moderation is often quoted, but moderation is starting to mean daily intake and we shouldn't be relaying on white/ processed sugar and carbs to the extent that we are.

The sugar in natural food ie fruit, works differently in the body and especially if eaten as a whole fruit with the pith.

Many people cannot eat the processed products that are marketed and have any chance of keeping their weight down, or their heart health etc good.

We should be thinking about the eating patterns that we are inflicting on our children. As adults we shouldn't have to be completely re-educate ourselves and our taste buds, to have good health.

I don't think that taking a step back and thinking about all of the crap that we consume and is doing the planet little good, is a bad thing. People go on about dog poo, but I wonder why we need to generate all the rubbish that litters any public place, which is mostly from fast or junk food.

Weight is talked about on here often, but in general, we are not getting any healthier and all the research shows that eating patterns are to blame, whether body fat is present or not.

[NoComet]

Given how early they have to get up (usless council not providing enough buses), any breakfast that they will eat is fine by me.

[gordyslovesheep]

You come accross like a petulant teen trying to educate us kellogs is a big corporation shocker...sugary cereal bad shocker

I love crunchy nut cornflakes as it happens ...my kids prefer toast

[whois]

my kids prefer toast

With jam? Is that jam from a big corporation (and EVIL) or is it home made jam? Cos you know the sugar in home made jam isn't as evil and the home made goddess shines like a halo? :-)

Personally I love marmite. I'm not site where that fits into the evil food spectrum.

[gordyslovesheep]

Worse :( high fat peanut butter ...I am going to parenting hell

[ILetHimKeep20Quid]

I. A
If you have something to say, say it. Don't cross it out, it's not big and it's not clever.

[flowery]

How shocking. Big company is acting in the interests of its shareholders rather than out of the goodness of its heart.

Or should that be big company is acting in the interests of its shareholders rather than out of the goodness of its heart.

[PotNoodleAteMyHandbag]

I've started cooking my 2 breakfast instead of cereal but I'm not going to be able to do it every day, still, it'll cut their cereal intake by at least half. the ones they like are 29% sugar!!!

[OwlinaTree]

But even wheetos are only about 200cals for a 60g bowl (I know they are nestles not Kellogg's but I don't know cals in coco pops!)

[LessMissAbs]

YANBU. I used to wonder why people spent a fortune on personal trainers, diet counsellors, diet books and so on, as its all available freely to those who can read. Then I read this thread...

No wonder people in this country are so fat, if they don't think about what is in the food they and their children are eating. Its no secret that most breakfast cereals are full of sugar, why anyone would want to eat that crap is beyond me but why knowingly buy even more sugary cereal?!

Its so sad that so many children in this country (a) eat processed cereals for breakfast and (b) don't walk or cycle to school.

[LessMissAbs]

By the way, I'm in Belgium, where children cycling to school is "normal" and breakfast cereal isn't particularly popular.

[bigbrick]

I'm in belgium as well! The sugar cereals aren't big here as it's bread with choc for many. Mine like low sugar breakfasts like weetabix & hot oat cereal, porridge etc. They do have suger cereals sometimes but these brands are expensive - the Tresor cereal is 8euro a big box!

[Tavv]

YANBU

[IneedAsockamnesty]

Op,do you seriously believe anybody does not already know how the food industry and the supermarkets and advertising work?

Do you think we are all a bit thick and lack understanding about processed food?

Just because you didn't know about this before you watched some program or read a book don't assume that we don't because the vast majority of us are not a bit thick and have known about this for years.

[QueenStromba]

I've just look up the ingredients of cornflakes and weetabix. Sugar is the second ingredient in cornflakes and third ingredient in weetabix. For weetabix barley malt extract is the second ingredient (it's also the third ingredient in cornflakes). Barley malt extract is sugar made from barley. Is it just me that thinks it's rather sneaky to use a type of sugar that most people wouldn't recognise as being sugar?

[choceyes]

YANBU.
Cereal is an occassional treat in this house. Although DD does have it at nursery twice a week.
A sugary cereal is not a great way to start the day is it really, even as part of a balanced diet. They will be hungry by 10am (like my kids are when they eat cereal).
I am however partial to a bowl of cocopops, by snack of choice when I have PMT and a need a sugary chocolatey hit!

[PotNoodleAteMyHandbag]

I'm struggling with keeping the proteiney breakfasts interesting - this week we've had sausage sarnies, cheese & ham quesedillas, fruit pancakes, boiled eggs that went wrong,

Anyone got any good breakfast suggestions that don't involve Mr Kellogs?

[Tabby1963]

Whois my original message talked about a large food corporation, in this instance Kelloggs, encouraging consumers to donate to a charity by buying more of their cereals. If this marketing ploy succeeds, they will increase their market share of the lucrative cereal industry.

I am very cynical of their methods because it involves encouraging consumers to buy more cereal so the big corporation can increase its market share. Far better to make a cash donation to the charity.

[LessMissAbs]

QueenStromba Barley malt extract is sugar made from barley. Is it just me that thinks it's rather sneaky to use a type of sugar that most people wouldn't recognise as being sugar

I agree. I also don't know if this is relevant, but I have horses, and its generally recognised that barley is a grain you feed for weight gain in horses and for high energy, and that you cut it if your horse is too fresh (hyperactive). And similarly, horse feed companies market cereal mixes which are often full of fillers with poor nutritional levels, such as maize (which is also fed as a straight for weight gain). Hence some horse owners have problems with excess energy or weight in their horses and cannot understand why, but fail to realise what they are feeding them. Oats are fed for pure energy and are coming back into popularity as a "straight" feed.

[Tabby1963]

TeamEdward, yes, I understand that companies exist to make profits, but my point is that we need to be aware that they will make those profits at our expense. They are supporting this charity solely to get more profit, but the other consequence is that we end up eating more and more sugary foods, leading to increased obesity. And it is already happening.

[Tabby1963]

Thanks for your comments, Birdsgottafly.